Jones leads the way as Rockets get bounce-back win over Bucks

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Of all the ways Terrence Jones scored on a night during which he piled up numbers unlike any in his career, most significant might have been the way he didn’t score.

On his way to a career-high 36 points in the Rockets’ 114-104 get-well win over the Bucks on Saturday night at Toyota Center, Jones finished pick-and-roll lobs to the rim. He completed drives. He slammed home offensive rebounds. He knocked down a corner 3. He even finally shut the door when he swatted an O.J. Mayo 3, grabbed the rebound and hit Mayo with a spin move on a coast-to-coast drive to complete his night.

Rarely, if ever, did Jones’ entire offensive repertoire include the Rockets running a play for him.

There were a few pick-and-roll reads from Jeremy Lin and James Harden. But mostly, Jones found his way. For all the examination of the Rockets’ offense since Thursday’s second-half meltdown, the way he scored, putting up 25 in the first half after he and his teammates totaled just 19 in the second half Thursday, might have been a powerful statement of what can always be done.

Mostly, he played with relentless energy and let the points take care of themselves.

“He had offensive rebounds, put-backs, run-outs, dives, just kind of played inside the offense,” coach Kevin McHale said. “The ball found him and he made nice plays.

“I was happy he went out there and played with that type of energy and effort. That’s what he’s got to do every night. … He just turned 22 a week ago. He has a real bright future.”

Youthful exuberance

Jones is the second youngest Rockets player to score 30 in a game, trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon at 21 and 318 days old when he had his first 30-point game. But this was not a sudden aberration. Jones just took it further than he had.

In the past 10 games, Jones has averaged 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds, making 52.5 percent of his shots. His previous career high came Wednesday in New Orleans. His high scoring quarter, before he put in 21 in the second quarter on Saturday, was the 17 he scored in the third quarter last week in Washington.

“He’s been active,” McHale said. “That’s a big thing for Terrence. If he just keeps his activity level up, he’s got enough skills. … He’s a very versatile player. And tonight, he had it going.”

Yet, even when he was rolling on Saturday, he never looked for his shots any more than he normally does. He admitted going for 40 on his last few possessions, but other than that, he just saw opportunities and took them.

“I was just playing through our offense,” Jones said. “Guys were just finding me on cuts. I was trying to offensive rebound and do all the little things I’ve been doing. It was just coming to me tonight.”

Even with the Rockets dominant inside — they had 64 points in the paint with nine minutes left — they continued to take 3-pointers in bunches. Their big men dominated there, too, with Dwight Howard sinking a corner 3, giving him as many this season (two) as in the rest of his career. Jones hit one in the other corner, ending his league-high streak of consecutive misses from beyond the arc at 15. The Rockets were 7-of-27 on 3s, with their misses keeping the Bucks in the game. But the Rockets could attack the rim whenever necessary, led by the player that just kept on attacking.

Trickle-down effect

“Tremendous,” James Harden said of Jones’ night. “A lot of those buckets were because he played harder than the other team, getting offensive rebounds, running the floor. He played phenomenal.”

He might have also given the Rockets ideas. With Harden and Howard adding a couple of 3s, Harden saw a chance to do what Jones did.

“If they keep hitting the 3s, the paint is going to be wide open,” Harden said. “We’re going to keep getting layup after layups.”

On Saturday, Jones hit those layups just by working harder than anyone on the court. With that, the Rockets had a response to Thursday’s defeat and a vivid reminder that scoring does not have to be so difficult, after all.